Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
‘I shouted, prayed, screamed and told him how much I loved him’ – Gemma Stevens leads Burghley after one hairy cross-country moment
The British rider has a fence in hand after going clear inside the time today to top the Burghley cross-country results, while Tim Price holds second – but not on the horse we all expected
The British rider and Christopher and Lisa Stone’s home-bred Chilli Knight – with whom she won the Bicton Horse Trials one-off five-star in 2021 – put in one of just two clears inside the time over Derek di Grazia’s cross-country course today to move up from second after dressage.
Gemma said: “What a little legend – what a ride he gave me and what a partnership that we've managed to build over 16 years. There was definitely a moment in the Leaf Pit where he said, ‘Hold my beer, Mum! I’ve got this’ and that’s kind of what eventing is all about – partnership and belief in each other.”
The 41-year-old British rider explained in more detail what happened at the Holland Cooper Leaf Pit (fence 24abcdef).
“He jumped off the Leaf Pit so much better than I was expecting him to because normally he’s like a little pony and he wants to put his little foot actually on the step, so I was expecting him to do that,” said Gemma. “But he actually jumped off it really well.
“I got to the bottom and saw a lovely forward shot up to the brush, and he said, ‘Nah, we’re not going on that one, Mum. There’s another one in there.’ There really wasn't space for another stride, but he put in a little one before the brush, and then I was an absolute country mile off the corner.
“I basically shouted at him and prayed to God, and he basically said, ‘It’s okay, Mum, I’ve got this.’ And he turned into some sort of Pegasus and jumped it. I screamed and then I told him how much I loved him. I’m really sorry to anyone down there, but there was also definitely a lot of swearing at that moment.”
Horse & Hound Newsletter
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
Gemma starts the final showjumping with a fence in hand, but showjumping has not always been the strongest phase for Alfie, who had five down at Mars Badminton Horse Trials 2025, which cost him third place. However, he only had one down here in 2024 and jumped clear when he won Bicton, so tomorrow’s result is far from a foregone conclusion.
Tim Price’s topsy-turvy day
New Zealand rider Tim Price ended up second in the Burghley cross-country results on his first ride Global Quest, who had been sixth after dressage and added 4.8 time-faults.
“There was a lot of learning to be done with that horse around this track. He’s done a couple of five stars, but nothing of this magnitude,” said Tim of Diana and Lance Morrish’s horse who has already contested Pau Horse Trials and Kentucky Three-Day Event.
“But also, he’s been improving every time and this time he took it to another level of scope and bravery, which was quite nice to have around Burghley. There were quite a few moments where it was seat of the pants riding, where we went on the line but not the plan in terms of number of strides or feeling.”
Tim Price and Global Quest jump up the step at Boodles Raindance (fence 7abc) as they move up to second overnight
(Image credit: Peter Nixon)
However, Tim said the changes were based on “good things” from Global Quest.
“There were a couple of places where he really threw himself into the air and I had to had to manage that down to the next part of the question,” said Tim, who was also pleased by the 13-year-old’s speed.
“He galloped and he stayed all the way home, and I’m really proud of him because it’s a real step in a good direction for the journey of discovery. He ticked a lot of boxes that I think will stand him in good stead.”
Holly Richardson rode the first clear inside the time today, on Fi and Issy Saxby’s Ballyneety Silver Service, and was rewarded with a 25-place rise up the leaderboard to third.
“I just sat down with the plan and stuck to it – I had plan Bs if it started going wrong. But he just kept answering the question perfectly, and I kept sticking to my plan,” she said.
“You don’t really have time to think about it – you just start thinking about the next fence as soon as you land over the one before. Even when you’re nearly home, doing the second-to-last, you’re thinking about the last fence. You can’t enjoy it too much, because you’ve got to keep going all the way.”
Holly Richardson and Ballyneety Silver Service put in the first clear inside the time across country
(Image credit: Peter Nixon)
Yorkshire rider Holly, 32, and “Butler” caught the eye here last year with their fast clear inside the time, but dropped down the order in the showjumping, finishing 14th. They also went clear in the time at Badminton this spring, but again, the final phase was expensive, so they may not finish this Burghley on the podium.
Burghley cross-country results: the top 10
Katie Magee has risen from 19th to fourth with just 2.4 time-faults on Treworra, while Caroline Pamukcu’s eight time-penalties allowed her to retain fifth for the US with HSH Blake.
Pippa is a true eventing geek and has been H&H’s eventing editor since 2005. She has first-hand experience of competing up to British Eventing intermediate and international CCI2*-L level, and has worked in the industry on a top event yard. Pippa enjoys nothing more than immersing herself in the sport at the highest level, reporting from the five-stars and international championships, including the Olympics.
